The World Bank has approved a $47.9 million grant to strengthen primary education in Punjab, with a focus on expanding early childhood education, re-enrolling out-of-school children, and enhancing teacher training. The funding, announced on August 23, comes under the Global Partnership for Education Fund and is part of the organisation’s broader efforts to reduce learning poverty and ensure equitable access to quality schooling.
The initiative follows the World Bank’s earlier approval in June of $100 million for the “Getting Results: Access and Delivery of Quality Education Services in Balochistan” (GRADES-Balochistan) project. That program is designed to benefit 250,000 students by boosting enrolment and improving literacy, while also helping the education sector respond to climate change and emergencies.
For Punjab, the new project aims to benefit nearly four million children, including 80,000 out-of-school students, over three million in School Education Department institutions, 850,000 in the non-formal sector, and 140,000 differently-abled children in Special Education Department schools. More than 100,000 teachers, school leaders, parents, and community members will also benefit from professional development and awareness initiatives.
According to Izza Farrakh, World Bank Task Team Leader, the project is aligned with Punjab’s broader education reform agenda, which seeks to create a more inclusive, accountable, and effective school system. She emphasized that the initiative will support governance reforms and capacity-building within the provincial education sector.
Bolormaa Amgaabazar, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan, described the grant as a “crucial step towards addressing learning poverty” and ensuring equal opportunities for all children, particularly the most vulnerable.
Pakistan has been a member of the World Bank since 1950, receiving over $48.3 billion in assistance. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has invested $13 billion since 1956 in sectors including renewable energy, financial inclusion, healthcare, agribusiness, and infrastructure. Currently, the World Bank’s portfolio in Pakistan according to estimation includes 54 projects with a total commitment of $15.7 billion.
